Hi, my name is Christian Alexander Clark and if you're reading this, I have recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Advertising and Public Relations and a certificate in Sports Communication. In this documentation of my four years at UNC, I'll write in the first person, second person, and the third person to illuminate a crazy whirlwind of experiences from 2018-2022. I began to write this story during my junior year so some memories will be written as I worked towards finishing my college experience and some will be written in retrospect. Is that correct journalism? Probably not. However, it's always fun to experiment with new things. Hey, maybe I just invented a new style of writing?
I wrote and am ultimately sharing this story for a multitude of reasons: to have a written record of my experience, to help others during their college journey, and for the love of writing. Call it an autobiography. Call it a journal. Call it a blog. Call it whatever you want. No matter what, I hope you enjoy, "The Chapel Thrill Experience" and if you were along for the ride (friends, family, and haters), thanks for being a part of a remarkable and life-changing four years at the best university on the planet!
Pre-College
When I visited Chapel Hill for the first time, it just felt right. I had never been there but I had always been a fan of North Carolina sports. After all, my mom went there for undergrad, essentially giving me no choice but to root for the baby blue. From walking on Franklin Street to making my way down to the pit, the environment had a welcoming feel.
I had spent two other times on campus before I decided to apply to UNC. The Carolina Sports Journalism Camp was a great experience led by Tim Crothers, a former Sports Illustrated Sports writer and professor at UNC. I met two friends who I still keep up with, John and Lena, who are currently in media and journalism related degree programs as juniors.
The other camp I had been accepted for was the Chuck Stone Program, which would come just two weeks after the first one. I honestly believe that if I hadn't participated in those camps, I wouldn't have gotten accepted into UNC. Going to those camps showed my interest and the recommendations from the professors I worked with during those crucial two weeks could have changed the entire trajectory of my life. I'll never truly know but that's what I believe.
I felt pretty confident of whether I'd be accepted or denied into the colleges that I applied to. The only one that I was unsure of was UNC. My SAT and ACT scores were slightly below average for an out-of-state student trying to make it into Chapel Hill but I felt like my high school GPA and AP class regimen could compensate for that. I want to reiterate that I am so happy that my standardized testing days are over. Studying and preparing for those exams was brutal. An online predictor (Parchment) said I only had an 8% chance of getting in, so my confidence wasn't too high that I beat the odds. Why was I more special than anyone else?
January 26, 2018. The moment of truth. I had gotten texts from a group chat I had from the Chuck Stone Program as some people were saying that decisions were released. I decided to not open mine until after I returned home from work at Marco's Pizza so that I could focus at the task at hand. When I returned home, I grabbed my laptop and logged on to ConnectCarolina to see my fate. I clicked on the link and boom, I was ACCEPTED! "What did it say?" my mom said. I tried to keep a straight face and say I didn't get in. I brought the laptop over to her and showed her the letter. I waited few seconds before she started crying. Then, the celebration began.
Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Miami (FL) were the only other schools I was truly considering but once I was accepted to North Carolina, it was essentially a done deal, barring a full-ride scholarship to another university. I didn't know how I was able to do it but somehow, it actually happened. God had much bigger plans for me. Improbably, I was headed to Chapel Hill! Such much for 8% hahaha...
Freshman Year (#UNCFirstYearExperience)
Being an out of state student, I knew no one from my hometown so I’d knew it would be an adjustment period. Luckily, I had some sort of a plan that materialized in ways I couldn’t have dreamed of. As a freshman, I had no idea how my year would turn out. I had a small idea of what I wanted to accomplish but I’m glad I didn’t try to fully “script” out everything. Some things in life, you just have to sit back and let the experiences come to you.
Before the semester started, I was taking it all in back home in Midlothian, VA. I had a lot of "see ya later" opportunities with many of my friends who were going to different colleges in Virginia and out-of-state. We had a wild kickball tournament in my neighborhood cold-de-sac before it got shut down by a neighbor rant. If you know, you know. Anyways, I also traveled to Santiago, Chile for the first time to go on a mission trip with my home church, Parkway Baptist. My spanish was no bueno but I knew enough to make it through the schools and churches we worked at. I didn't know what to expect from an international mission trip but I'm extremely glad I went. It helped set the stage for the new journey I had set right in front of me.
Move-in day. My first day on campus was one that I will never forget. It started off like usual...being late. That is one of my pet peeves so needless to say, I was pretty frustrated. However, after just 15 minutes of me moving into my dorm, there were two guys that knocked on my door wearing olive colored shirts. Their names were Taylor Day and Philippe Garay. Taylor was a sophomore and Philippe was a junior. They introduced themselves to The Summit Church, a community I would end up joining from day one. They invited me to get lunch at this place called the North Carolina Study Center and the rest is in the books.
One of my big emphases going into college for me was to find a community of Christian believers. I read or heard a stat somewhere that 70% of college students leave their faith after entering college. That is heartbreaking to think about and I refused to let that be me. I decided that I would put myself in the best position to not just keep my faith, but expand my knowledge and grow. In my eyes, it is super important to find community in college. I certainly found that with Summit. It’s not perfect by any means but there is not a group out there that can claim that.
The main events in Summit College during my freshman year were a dodgeball tournament, Black Mountain Weekend (a weekend retreat in Asheville, NC in September), a winter conference (WinCon), Late Night Skate Night at Wheels Fun Park in Durham, and the SC Classy Christmas Party, where people talk, take pictures, and have a safe, fun night with people from ministry. We also did things like go on Cookout runs, drive each other to church, and just enjoy college life together.
Living in the Ehringhaus dorm aka E-Haus, as most people called it, was a fun experience. I felt like it was the best freshman dorm for a variety of reasons. It was right next to the bus stop even though I chose to walk to my destination 95 percent of the time. “Suite 420” had a mix of personalities and you can take that as you will.
The first month at UNC was amazing. Free food, awesome events, early morning fire drills. Truly perfection. There was so much to do as many of the new events were aimed to getting freshman acclimated to the new campus. At some point though, the welcome events will end and it will be time to buckle down. If you stay in “everything is fun” mode for too long, your grades will suffer. It’s all about discipline so make sure you know when to bypass time with your friends for study time instead. My first semester was great grade-wise but my second semester, I slacked off a bit and played too much NBA 2K on the PS4 hahaha.
There are so many great restaurants on Franklin St. It is very pricey so I wouldn’t recommend eating there on a consistent basis but it is nice to see all the options there are. However, it is definitely a nice change of scenery to try something new when the cafeteria food gets repetitive and old. In fact, eating at Lenoir or Rams (Chase) Dining Hall isn’t as bad as people make it out to be. At the end of the day, it’s still not as good as Mom’s home cooked meals though.
Halloween is an experience that all students should try out at least once. I thought there would be more things to do but there’s not too much to participate in besides eat at food trucks and look at wacky costumes that crazy college students come up with. I went traditional as Superman but there are many creative costumes that people put a lot of effort into. Of course there are parties too but I’d never advocate for that.
My first job at UNC was with GoHeels Productions. GoHeels partners with the ACC Network (formerly Raycom Sports) and sometimes ESPN to bring events onto their platforms. I worked as the replay operator, graphics man, and camera guy for various UNC sporting events. Those sports were football (spring game), lacrosse, baseball, and softball. The staff was willing to work with you when something was confusing. We would have weekly training meetings to help learn new things and refine our skills so the next time we would work an event, we would be ready for the show.
As we know, Hurricane Florence devastated much of the eastern coastline of North Carolina, specifically Wilmington and New Bern. Originally, the inland part of the state was supposed to be hit hard but models regressed from a Category 5 projection to a Category 3 at landfall. Just ask my roommate Josh Dixon. He was in an interesting class during first semester about weather and climate where they discussed a ton about the impending storm. I would end up taking the class later out of curiosity. Fortunately, Chapel Hill only got moderately strong winds and rain so I was able to stay on campus for the duration of the storm.
Next on the list, we had the second installment of the “Water Crisis” at UNC. Yes, this actually happened TWICE. Basically what went down was a water pipeline exploded at the OWASA Water Plant in Carrboro where the university gets its water from. In turn, every student got an alert on their cell phones saying that classes were canceled for the day. Luckily, the situation was resolved within 24-48 hours but it could've been much worse.
It wouldn’t be college without exam week. It wouldn’t be UNC without a controversy. Many of the students, including myself, was concerned about whether or not “Winter Storm Jonas” would impact exams. In high school, you can push exams to after Christmas Break. In college, it’s a new semester with new classes that start as soon as students return. I think you see my point. It’s extremely tough to reschedule exams under this scenario. For some, they got their final exams canceled. For others, it was delayed by a day or two. The South doesn’t handle snow very well but UNC didn’t have much of a choice in regards to pushing exams. I was able to take all of my exams and excelled on all of them so I thank God that we didn’t have to get some of our holiday vacation taken away.
One of the amazing things about going to an elite university like UNC-Chapel Hill is that they often attract some of the biggest names in the business. I really enjoyed being close to a big region like the Raleigh-Durham triangle for the opportunity that it provides. Through this, I was able to meet several prominent stars that I was hoping to see one day.
First off was my favorite NBA player, Kemba Walker. It was a borderline miracle in how I was able to meet him. To simplify this the best way, the neighbor’s of my roommate Josh, the Williamson’s, had a connection with Cody Zeller who started for the Charlotte Hornets. They were at the game in the Dean Dome and offered Josh two access passes to go on the court after the Hornets-Celtics game and be able to meet some of the players. He offered me a pass and the rest is history.
Second on the list was Tori Kelly. I really admire Kelly because not only do I love her music but also the bold move that she took as she shifted from pop music to gospel. Her voice in real life was stunning and if she ever makes her way to North Carolina or Virginia again, I will definitely do my best to attend. Last on the list was Lecrae. Lecrae, a Christian hip-hop artist, was brought in through some of the Christian organizations on campus. I was surprised on how much he knew about the topic of racial reconciliation and his storyline he presented.
It's almost impossible to get the full Carolina experience without attending a sporting event. The first college football game I attended was on family weekend. I was able to attend four out of the five home games during the 2018 season. The night game against Virginia Tech was my favorite despite losing in the final seconds. We were pretty awful during my freshman year in football but we had no idea how good we'd get once Mack Brown came to town. Attending Women's College Cup final in Cary was fun as well despite us losing to Florida State 1-0.
There were many great UNC basketball games I went to like the epic overtime game against Miami and the “not a rivalry” game against NC State but c’mon....what else would top the list? Shout out to my guy Peter for graciously sacrificing his ticket and letting me attend. The best rivalry in College Basketball was back for its biannual installment. Of course this game was at the start of Spring Break. Yet another instance of perfect timing! Of course, it was the last time I’d see seniors Luke Maye, Cameron Johnson, and Kenny Williams play in a Carolina uniform.
In the morning, I woke up at 6:20am to get a good seat for ESPN College GameDay. By a stroke of luck, one of the ESPN employees selected me along with nine others to try out for the State Farm half-court tuition giveaway. Unfortunately, I didn’t get selected but at least I can now say I have shot a basketball inside the Dean E Smith Center. Despite getting partially trampled and not getting first row, my friend Tyler and I finessed our signs on television. At the show’s conclusion, I was able to take a picture with Kenny Williams as he recognized my “Midlothian Represent” sign since he went to L.C. Bird High School here in the 804 area.
As for the game, I went with my friend Reuben as we waited in the Phase 5 line for the game. Typically, there are only three phases. Every game I attended prior to this one, I had a Phase 1 ticket, meaning I get the best seats. However, I wasn’t going to complain. ANY ticket to the Duke game is a good one. There were so many people that they basically made a Phase 6 and we barely made the cut off. I loved this game because my all-time favorite Tar Heel, Kenny Williams, went off for 18 points and drained 4 three pointers along with some key defensive plays. The year before in Chapel Hill, KDubs hit six three pointers and scored a career high 20 points. I guess the Blue Devils bring out the best in my guy. After the celebration, most of the Carolina contingency stayed in their seats to listen to Cam, Luke, and Kenny give their goodbyes senior speeches to the fans. It was amazing to hear and so much sweeter to witness it in person. I had always dreamed of going to a Duke-Carolina game and so far in my freshman year, we are 2-0 in the regular season against the school “seven miles down the road.”
For intramural sports, I played Flag Football on two teams and a basketball team. I had a lot of fun but in my sophomore year, I have a lot to prove. I went 0 for 13 in games that I played in. I think it’s me. I would say I’m joking but there is a reason I say that. The one game I couldn’t play in, the team won. It’s safe to say that I was ready for redemption.
My favorite game was our playoff game during 4v4 Flag Football. We were playing the number one seed as a result of being the worst team record wise. Realistically, we thought we were gonna get smacked but we weren’t going to lie down and accept defeat. We had a lot of talent on our team but we never practiced and in intramural sports, it is really up to each team to decide how that will look. Some teams practiced multiple times a week and it showed, especially in basketball.
I was limited in the game due to my partially torn hamstring so I sat out for most of the game. That meant that my new roommate for this upcoming fall, Zach Engler, was going to play quarterback. Boy did he impress. He threw a DOT to one of my friends, Trace Pigg, who snagged an amazing one handed pass on the sideline while accelerating up field and reaching the end zone. I met Trace in my first flag football IM team and he seems to show up in the biggest games. In our lone playoff game as the “Hinton James Package Center,” he came up big with three interceptions. Obviously, we had to lose in sad fashion by the score of 2-0 (in football, yikes).
Back to the story, Zach decided to put on a show with a #SCTop10 move. His ridiculously NASTY juke move on a poor defender had the few spectators in awe for a big time touchdown. I wish I had a video of the play. It was THAT good. I was able to catch a two-point conversion in limited action to tie the game at twenty. Later our team, “Kenny Williams Fan Club,” was on the verge of giving up a touchdown until my big 6’4 friend Noah Barnett swooped in and intercepted a pass at the goal line and set us up with four minutes left (cue Super Bowl 49 vibes).
Could this be the game I finally win? Will the curse be lifted? With four minutes left, things were setting up perfectly for a game-winning drive and moving on to the next round. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, with the game tied on 4th and goal, we threw a pick-six on the ensuing play to lose the game. Most people aim to win the coveted “Intramural Champions” t-shirt but I just wanted to win one game. As they say in sports…”there’s always next year.” I did happen to win a game in sophomore year so the infamous streak did come to an end for those that were wondering.
When I look back at my freshman year of college, I will likely regard it as one of, if not the best year of my life. It helped set the foundation for my faith to grow by joining the local church, I was able to establish great friendships, I met my favorite NBA player and saw my favorite female singer live. I got to attend a Carolina-Duke basketball game in FRESHMAN year and meet a Midlothian legend Kenny Williams. What more could you ask for?
Freshman Year Ranking: 9.5 out of 10
Sophomore Year (#SophomoreSZN)
I was coming off an emotional high throughout freshman year but I knew that everything was too good to be true. Unfortunately, I would prove myself right. One of my friends told me that when you let your guard down, that is when the devil is most likely to strike. That is exactly what happened.
It started off with a bang. I started off my summer by serving my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Philippines. I had just come off a mission trip in Chile a year before and was ready to traverse the globe again. Through traveling to the local schools and villages in Ilagan City, I saw that there are so many opportunities to share and we need people to step up in faith and be able to sow the seeds of the Gospel either domestically or internationally because as Christians, we know that eternities are at stake. I truly believe that following the Lord instead of submitting to the ways of the world is the best decision that we could ever make.
The start to sophomore year wasn't as exciting, mostly because the newness and uncertainty factor had mostly worn off. My one saving grace for sophomore year was of course football season. There were countless UNC football games that I will likely remember for the rest of my life. It started off in Charlotte for the Belk Bowl Kickoff. The first game of the Mack Brown 2.0 era started with a lot of uncertainty. Freshman QB Sam Howell would start against South Carolina, a team that we weren't expected to beat. The element of surprise might have caught the Gamecocks off guard as a second-half surge by the Tar Heels gave our new era a win to start off the year.
The very next game was under the lights vs the Miami Hurricanes in Kenan on a Saturday night. This game wouldn’t be complete without a memorable finish. Howell delivered the goods, zipping a pass to the back of the end-zone to receiver Dazz Newsome for the go-ahead touchdown with a minute left. Later, Miami kicker Bubba Baxa missed a long field goal to potentially send the game into overtime. UNC improved to 2-0 on the year, a feat no one envisioned just a few days prior.
The Carolina-Duke football game typically doesn't get the same hype as basketball but the ending was one of the best I've personally seen. UNC was leading 20-17 but Duke was driving and made it to the one-yard line with under 30 seconds left. Game over, right? Well, something amazing happened. When I first saw it live, I thought the world was over. Or something like that. What I really thought happened was a fumble by the running back that popped straight into the linebacker’s hand. Later, I found out it was a running back pass to Chazz Surratt alertly intercepted. Either way...WHAT A PLAY! A relatively forgettable game turned into an instant classic. North Carolina took home the Victory Bell for the first time in four years and it couldn’t have been taken back on a much better play than I witnessed on that day.
Not every Carolina game had a happy ending. I traveled to Lane Stadium for my first true road game against the Hokies. I was able to see my sister Christina, along with some of my other friends (Josiah, Shane, and Katie). This game certainly wasn’t for the faint of heart. The six overtime thriller featured four missed field goals, two receiving TDs, and finally a two-point conversion run (first time with the new OT rules) to win for Tech.
By a narrow margin, the Clemson game was my favorite college football game because of the build-up and the unexpected competitiveness of the game. It’s not often that Carolina took on the best team in the nation. In fact, Kenan Memorial Stadium had never hosted a number one overall team...that was until September 28th, 2019.
North Carolina was a four touchdown underdog to the defending national champions so predictably, there were low expectations for this one. Sam Howell and the offense came out swinging on the very first drive, launching a deep touchdown to Dyami Brown for the early Carolina lead. It came down to a two-point conversion. Convert it and steal the biggest college football upset in a decade. Miss it and come up just short. Howell received the snap and sprinted out to the right side. It became apparent that the Tigers were all over the play. In desperation, Howell flicked it out to Dazz Newsome who didn’t quite have the angle to paydirt. The onside kick failed and Clemson was able to escape Chapel Thrill with a win. Yes, we lost but it showed the potential that UNC could and would have in the coming years.
Our men's basketball team was pretty bad, going 14-19 and missing the tournament...until the tournament got cancelled. The games I attended dropped as a result, decreasing from 9 to 5. I was able to attend the Elon, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Virginia, and Wake Forest games. At least we won for Cole Anthony on Senior Night...
On Sunday mornings, I had briefly worked for Summit Kids during my freshman year but I didn't feel like I was doing too much. It was more like being a babysitter than it was teaching and leading. I wanted a larger role so that I could impact the lives of our future generations. In high school, I had worked with Upward Basketball ministries as an assistant coach for tow years and had also assisted with Vacation Bible School (VBS) during the summer. Eventually, I found Summit Students at our Chapel Hill Campus. Leading with my friend Timmy Wilmot, we would lead small group bible studies with fourth and fifth grade boys. I even got pied in the face since one kid memorized a verse. I was able to work with some other friends from Summit College as well which made things more enjoyable.
The first two months were decent enough but it all came crashing down due to my battle anxiety and depression. While I won't discuss the details in this writing, I had some conflicts at school and things that were going on at home. There was a lot culminating up until this year but once a negative event occurred in early October, I think my mind had enough. Some things had nothing to do with me. Some things were my fault. Some things I over-exerted myself to help others. Regardless, it was slowly destroying my mental health and by the second semester, I was close to breaking.
I made the mistake of faking my emotions during the back half of the fall semester. Sometimes, I actually felt ok but it wasn't where I wanted to be. Once February rolled around, that's when my mind started to change. I became irritable at things I shouldn't have. I would isolate myself from others whenever I could. I am an introvert but I took it to another level. I had guilty feelings and fluctuating moods throughout the day. I'd consider myself a level-headed person, seldomly getting mad so I knew something was wrong. There was so much negativity inside my head and I was in an environment where I felt helpless of escaping.
A metaphor that I used to describe my mindset was pulling weeds in a lawn. As we know, weeds are a real nuisance. There are a number of ways you can deal with them. First, you can ignore them. What happens then? They kill your lawn. Obviously, that's not what we want. Secondly, you can pull them. That sounds like the correct answer, right? Well, if you're not careful, it may seem on the surface that your problem is solved but in reality, the roots are still there and leave the threat of additional weeds growing. Now, replace the weeds with the "problems" in our lives and replace the lawn with our "mind." That's how I felt. I had pulled a couple of the weeds but either they would grow back or I chose to ignore them.
For me, the weeds grew tall enough to form into a maze. I was trapped and was running out of time to get out. I am a type of person that tries my hardest to avoid conflict and care for others. Unfortunately, the conflict came to me and I couldn't run away. Sometimes in life, you have to confess when you are struggling and I failed to do that until my mind was in a bad spot. When you don't address problems and eradicate them, especially those that you can hide mentally, it can and will add up.
I didn't know exactly what was happening to me mentally but it wasn't a great feeling. I wasn't excited at the events I used to love. I remember watching the Carolina-Duke basketball game and being completely emotionless. Considering that we lost to our hated rival on an overtime buzzer-beater and I hardly cared was concerning for me. The only thing that gave me temporary reprieve was exercising and shooting hoops. Why that was the case, I have no idea. But I didn't care. That's what made me feel good so that's what I continued to do.
As I battled depression, I was surprisingly aware of my emotions and how I felt which led me to get the help I needed before it was too late. I was really appreciate of the friends that I was able to explain my situation and they could give me advice and assurance on what I needed to do. One of my good friends in Virginia told me a phrase of "progression over perfection" and mixed in some bible verses in-between. It was conversations like those that could've saved my life. I'll always tell those dealing with similar mental health issues that your true friends will drop everything to help you. No one wants to hear about their friend attempting suicide or having to endure mental pain. 1 in 5 adults suffer from a mental illness of some degree so it's always good to check up on those you haven't heard from in a long time or if you see a diverging from a normal communication or personality pattern.
I slowly was able to progress from depression but it didn't take me until junior year to feel somewhat normal again. The upcoming summer that I will soon talk about, helped immensely for that. However, just when I thought I had a plan to get better, the blows kept on coming. "The longest spring break ever" is what I'd informally call it. It was brought to us by the coronavirus or COVID-19. The week before spring break, there were some rumors about COVID making its way to the US. It would come and would be here faster than anyone anticipated.
I left for with two months left in my sophomore year and didn't return until my senior year. Even my pre-college nightmares would've been able to predict such mass chaos. The first few months of the virus was kinda nerve-wracking, especially during the initial shutdowns. In March and April of 2020, it was eerie. The roads were quiet and no one wanted to leave their houses for fear of what the virus entailed. Luckily, it wasn't as bad as it could've been but it still wasn't great. As our nation learned more about the virus and established testing procedures, people felt more comfortable about their day-to-day lives. However, it wouldn't be until May 2021 where the majority of the restrictions would end.
2020 was easily the worst year of my life to date. I was fortunate to have great grades despite dealing with mental health needs and an uncertain global pandemic. The month of January wasn’t too bad until Lakers’ legend Kobe Bryant died. Maybe, that's what did us all in? In retrospect, this was a bad omen for the year to come. Overall, it was a year of growth but a year of mental pain. I'll always be able to sympathize and understand someone going through hardship, family issues, feeling trapped and other related battles because I've been there and I'll probably be there again in the future.
Sophomore Year Ranking: 3 out of 10
Junior Year (#Coronacation)
The summer before my junior year was filled with a lot of uncertainty. In the midst of an unprecedented global pandemic, no one knew how bad things would truly get. My summer camp at Pine Cove: Camp in the City experience unfortunately lasted just ten days as a mass outbreak of COVID sent everyone home. It was my first time flying on an airplane by myself from Atlanta to Richmond so that was a somewhat insignificant milestone towards becoming an adult. I am extremely appreciative of my week in Waxhaw, NC and the lives we were able to impact. I hope I'm still able to keep in touch with some of the guys that I met for years to come.
The next question I had to answer was, "would I be back in the fall?" I went from a 90% confidence that I’d be back to Chapel Hill for Fall 2020 to a 50-50 dilemma. Posting a poll on my Instagram for advice didn’t help matters. With 120 responses, a dead-even split was the result. So much for that...At the end of the day, I decided that staying at home for the semester would be the best course of action for me. I had a feeling that with the current infrastructure that UNC had laid out for the fall, I didn't think we'd make it too long before being sent back home. In addition, even if we did stay, I'd be trapped in a small dorm where I'd be taking my classes and doing my homework all day. I wasn't the biggest fan of online classes but if I was going to take them, I'd rather be in the comfort of my much larger house. It only took one week before students were sent back home and all classes were moved to remote-only. I'm glad I avoided all the hassle of moving in and guessed correctly.
The semester was predictably uneventful. Yes, even getting my wisdom teeth out didn't live up to the hype that so many people make it out to be. The phenomenon that I’ll call “Zoom fatigue” was extremely prevalent. Everything was on the computer which got old really fast. The first semester took some time to adjust to but the second semester of Zoom wasn't that bad. I did get to vote in my first presidential election and it was exciting to once again, play a small part in democracy. Who did I vote for? You'll never know. When I wasn't grinding on my schoolwork, I spent time working at a local burger joint called BurgerIm...that is before it got shut down. Working nearly 30 hours a week was very exhausting but I was trying to save enough money to buy a car in the future and pay for other miscellaneous things. One of the benefits of staying at home for the semester was I didn't have to worry about buying food or other supplies. Thanks ma.
I went back to campus to visit three times during the first semester, attending three football games: #19 Virginia Tech, #2 Notre Dame, and UNC’s first trip to the Orange Bowl in Miami, FL against #5 Texas A&M. North Carolina’s expectations were raised after their unexpected bowl appearance in 2019 and the hype was at an all-time high. Attending a football game during a pandemic was a unique experience that I’ll never forget. Being able to hear yourself talk and hearing the pads popping on the other side of the field gave me JV football vibes. During the Orange Bowl, it felt like I had an entire section of the stadium to myself due to the social distancing restrictions. Kinda sad but kinda cool at the same time. Not gonna lie. That being said, It'll be cool to tell friends and family that I attended a sporting event during a global pandemic 30 years from now.
I strongly recommend that every college student takes at least one road trip with their friends, whether that be to go hiking, a concert, sporting event, or to the beach. The trip to Florida was the best college weekend I had to date. Stepping on the beach and trying some authentic Cuban food is a must while you are in the 305. It was also great that I finally got to visit the University of Miami, one of my top choices when I was applying to colleges. "The U" was my second choice at one point in my college evaluation process so it was nice to see an alternate reality that I could've experienced. Despite this one being in the midst of a pandemic, I’d easily do it over again if I was given the chance. Hard Rock Stadium was the most beautiful stadium I had been in and considering it is recently renovated, it should be.
While I was able to go to a few football games, it didn't look like basketball would be in the cards. Fortunately, a late-February law change gave fans the opportunity to attend spring sports. Thankfully, I was able to return to Chapel Hill for one basketball game against the #11 ranked Florida State Seminoles. At the time, it was a must win game. Down double-digits at the half, I told my friend Peter that we were going to come back and win. Was I 100% I'd be right? No. But I did feel we were due for a signature win of the season and with the fans back in the stands, they'd have enough momentum to rally. The second-half was the "Walker Kessler" game. A 20-point performance capped off a huge win for the Heels, essentially cementing another berth in the NCAA Tournament. The cherry on top was getting to witness coach Roy Williams' 900th career win. I was sad I wasn't able to attend more basketball games this season but considering the circumstances, I was fortunate to at least go to one. I feel really bad for all the seniors that didn’t get to go to the Carolina-Duke basketball game after waiting almost four years for their chance. If I am blessed to go for my senior year in 2022, I will definitely be very appreciative.
On April Fools Day, the shocking news happened to be that our great men’s basketball coach Roy Williams had retired. When I first saw the news on Instagram, I thought it was a joke considering the date of April 1st. "There's NO WAY this is real," I thought. However, once I saw Bleacher Report, ESPN, and the official UNC page report it, I knew they all weren’t in on this joke. It was a surprise for sure but with the "one-and-done" and transfer rule for college athletes, Williams felt that he was not "the right man for the job." The hiring of Hubert Davis was a predictable one but a smart choice. It will be nearly impossible to top the success that Dean Smith and Roy Williams have had at Carolina but I truly believe that Davis will keep the tradition and winning culture alive for the foreseeable future.
The rest of the semester, I was focused almost exclusively on my schoolwork. During final exams week, I got to go and say goodbye to my friend Peter who was graduating early and going to grad school in Texas. Putting on a surprise party was a fun memory. However, the biggest event of the semester was easily moving from Virginia after nearly 13 years. It was a minor adjustment to move since I had been to North Carolina dozens of times. The move was mentally exhausting at times but I’m glad that I was able to get closure on that phase of my life by going back twice during the semester and spend time in a house that I had a lot of great memories in. I wasn't too upset or disappointed though. After all, it’s not like I won’t be back. In fact, I'll be back for my good friend Brett's wedding in August.
As for my career outlook, I was able to land my first internship with TIAA for their Summer Marketing experience in January 2021. Despite being a virtual internship, it should be a great networking opportunity at the minimum. My hope is I end up loving it and have a job after graduation. Thinking about where I could end up after graduation is a unique exercise. In the 11th grade, I said I wanted to live in Charlotte when I graduated. The main TIAA office is in Charlotte so maybe this is the start of living out my dreams. Other cities I considered is Raleigh-Durham or back in my hometown in Richmond. As I witnessed in 2020, no one really knows what will happen but it would be really cool to land in one of those three cities in 2022 and beyond.
I’m also excited to get to work for my new marketing position at UNC Campus Rec in the fall. It will be great to gain experience before I attempt to find my first job post-grad. As I type this, I would like my career pathway to be in the sphere of marketing whether that be public relations, brand marketing, consumer engagement, or other related job titles. Having a job where I can be creative is a top priority for me and junior year has made me more confident about my passions and the jobs that I can obtain in the future.
To wrap up this chapter of "#Coronacation," my decision to spend my junior year away from campus was a very challenging decision but one that I was proud to make. A lesson I learned was this: enjoy every moment because you never know when it could be over. Right now, it seems as if a return to normalcy or the “new normal” is imminent for the Fall 2021 semester. The CDC recently announced a change in their guidelines, recommending that vaccinated individuals don't have to wear a mask indoors or outdoors. It'll be a little awkward for a little bit not wearing a mask as I've kinda gotten used to it at this point. As my friend Daniel Aguiar suggested, I still might wear it in the winter when it gets cold. If not, I'll have a nice bonfire and burn my masks in remembrance of the coronavirus. Jokes aside, by the end of the summer, there is a good chance of no restrictions and the hope of starting my college career the way it started: on a high note. "Hey Siri, play 'Mask Off' by Future"...
Junior Year Ranking: 6.5 out of 10
Senior Year (#TheLastDance)
After a year and a half hiatus, it was great to finally be back at UNC to close things out the right way. I wanted to come in with an open mind and not put too many expectations on what is likely to be my last year of schooling ever. My one goal was to be involved with as much as I could while still doing well in school. I'd come too far to stop now.
My newest opportunity was my job with UNC Campus Rec. It was definitely a blessing for much more reasons than just putting something on my resume. A great part of the job is that I get to interact with hundreds of students on campus. After being away for so long during junior year, it was great to be reinvigorated. I learned more skills on Adobe Premiere Pro to booster my video-editing skills and also made a few TikToks (yeah I know...). It was also cool to interview people for the first time in my life, I had never been on the other side of it and I'll be honest, it was kinda cool. Made some friends along the way which always makes the job more enjoyable. I learned a lot and made myself more marketable when it comes to job searching. Combining my marketing assistant position with my graphic design class made me a lot more confident about the future.
Searching for a job senior year is a full-time job in itself. Checking company websites, reaching out to connections, scanning job boards, updating resumes, and building a portfolio all takes time. I have considered several locations that I would want to move to after graduation. Richmond, Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte, Greenville, and Tampa. All of the locations have unique reasons. Going back to Virginia would be interesting to set up shop in my hometown and be around familiar territory. The research triangle (RDU) would probably be my number one choice right now based on the surplus of young adults, getting to stay with The Summit Church, and a growing job market. Greenville would be solely to move for a church plant and Tampa would be for the great weather. Finally, Charlotte is a big sports town and I'm also very familiar with the area. They way life goes, it might not be any of these places where I end up next.
It was a joy to get to work with the youth ministry again with Summit Students. The first Sunday I came back, the fire alarm went off so I was hoping that was not a sign of things to come for the year. Luckily, the fall semester went smoothly as we had lots of fun and seeing some of our students get baptized. My pre-teaching preparation improved greatly as I was thrust into more of a leadership role. It was also great to see familiar faces two years later and see how much they've grown up. I hope that if I move somewhere other than RDU, that I continue to get involved someway with the youth ministry. That is where my calling is when it comes to serving in the church.
For the first time ever that I can remember, I dressed up as two costumes for Halloween: LaMelo Ball for UNC Campus Rec and Fred from Scooby Doo for Summit Students. With the coronavirus still around, Franklin St. wasn't closed off like it usually is so that was unfortunate. However, the legacy of the food trucks from previous years still remained throughout the semester on campus and they were a worthy addition. Las Mesas food truck was incredible. Salvadorian-style quesadillas and Pulled pork sandwiches...yum!
Of course, senior year wouldn't be anything to me without going to as many sports games as possible. Football stadiums were full capacity and mask-optional which was music to my ears. For football, the season started in Blacksburg with optimism as high as it had been in years for Tar Heel Football. Three hours later, the outlook on the season quickly died as UNC was stifled by VT on the road. That was a sign of things to come as the Heels would finish a super disappointing 6-7 record. Despite that, there were two games that I'll remember for a long time: Miami and Wake Forest.
Throughout my time at UNC, it's always special when the Heels take on the Hurricanes in basketball or football. My sophomore year, we won on a game-winning touchdown catch with a minute left. This year, it seemed as if Miami would return the favor...that is until Cedric Gray intercepted a tipped pass in the red-zone to save the day. It was eerily similar to the Duke game in my sophomore year where linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel intercepted a pass at the goal line with around ten seconds remaining to steal the game. Lightning strikes twice I suppose.
I had always dreamed of storming the field. For those that don't know what that is, it's when an underdog upsets a favored team. Beating an in-state rival and knocking off an undefeated team would certainly check the box for UNC. Two years ago, #1 Clemson came to town and Mack Brown and Co. were a two-point conversion away from the biggest win in our program's history. Fast forward to 2021. No one thought Wake Forest would be undefeated when they came to Kenan Memorial Stadium. We were the ones that were expected to be 8-0. However, games are not played on paper and the Demon Deacons were atop the ACC for the first time since 2006. This was my last potential chance to storm the field as a student and I made sure I made as much noise as possible to make it happen.
It was a great weekend with my friends Christian, Dylan, and Peter all coming in for this Homecoming game. We were all optimistic that UNC could pull it out but knew Wake's offense was really good and the Tar Heels' defense was really bad. Predictably, the game was an absolute shootout. UNC was down 45-27 towards the end of the third quarter as some fair-weather fans began to leave the stadium. However, I remembered that UNC had overcome a bigger deficit last season against Wake (down 45-24) and believed they could do it again. Once again, lightning struck twice. Ty Chandler carried the team in the second half, scoring three touchdowns with Storm Duck and Cam'Ron Kelly making key defensive plays to help give UNC the lead for good.
Once Chandler ran in for his fourth touchdown, the entire student section knew what was about to go down. UNC had completed an 18-point comeback against a top-ten team and salvaged a little bit of a disappointing season. I didn't think I'd get a chance again after losing to Clemson but I'm glad everything turned out the way it did.
As for basketball season, I had to wait super early in line one last time. The Heels needed a big win against a ranked foe and the Michigan Wolverines were coming to town for the "Big Ten-ACC Challenge. I decided to wait nearly four hours before tip off to get second row in the student risers. Ah..brings me back to freshman year. Standing with my friend Josh, the Heels showed they'd be a force in 2021 under first-year head coach Hubert Davis. UNC BLEW OUT a ranked Wolverines team by 21 points which was a stunner to almost everyone. I expected North Carolina to upset, especially being at home, but not by THAT much.
There were some memorable moments including UNC scoring 100 (biscuit time) against little brother NC State or the Heels racing out to an 18-0 start against FSU. However, there are three games that I'll remember forever. Obviously, the Duke game is the most anticipated game in Chapel Hill. For the entire season, the Heels had handled their business against bad teams but got blown out against the good ones. Against the Blue Devils with ESPN College GameDay coming to town, it was a golden opportunity to get a signature win.
I was able to carve out a second-row spot in the risers behind the basket for the game. A dream come true. As the Tar Heel Lights flickered and "Jump Around" played on the speakers, I realized how blessed I was to be that close to the court for a UNC-Duke game. The last time I was that excited for a basketball game was the Duke game my freshman year. "What will we get for an encore?," I thought. A blowout. Wait, what? The Blue Devils raced out to a 32-8 lead and never looked back. The crowd wanted to be excited but it was clear that it wasn't going to end well. UNC was blown out by 20 and our tournament hopes looked to be in a bit of jeopardy.
Fast forward to the last week of the regular season. UNC needed a few wins to get off the bubble. Against Syracuse on Senior Night, it would be a major challenge. I didn't win a ticket in the student lottery to the game but luckily Annika came up clutch and invited me along with her for my last game as a student. The Orange raced out to a 9-0 lead and thoughts of "here we go again" began to surface. Fortunately, UNC climbed back into it and took the lead going into halftime. Overall, it was a back and forth game which came down to the final seconds. With UNC down by one, Caleb Love came up CLUTCH (more of that later...), draining a deep three and taking two point lead. Cuse would hit a jumper and send the game into overtime. At the end of the day, the Heels would win it in overtime and go out in style.
Everyone expected the Duke game in Durham to be a domination. In Coach K's last game, almost no one was discussing UNC as a true threat to win. Sure, it was a rivalry game but the Heels had just got rolled at home the last time they'd played so why would this contest be any different? I think you know where this is headed. After all the pageantry and all the hype, guess what? It didn't matter. In perhaps the biggest regular season win in UNC's recent memory, the Tar Heels played spoiler and ruined K's last game and senior night. I was glad I got to rush Franklin Street one more time and celebrate with my friends. What comes after K in the alphabet? A big L. Courtesy of the Tar Heels.
Just when I thought the madness was over, it had just begun. I always had dreamed of going to the Final Four as a student but I came to the conclusion that it wasn't gonna happen...or so I thought. God works in mysterious ways. Going into the tournament as an eight seed with powerhouses Baylor (the defending champs), UCLA (2021 Final Four team), Purdue, and Kentucky in our region, I thought we had little chance to make much noise. However, with some heroic performances by R.J. Davis and Caleb Love against Baylor and UCLA respectively, UNC unexpectedly edged them out while ending cinderella St. Peters' historic run to become one of the last four standing. We were in the FINAL FOUR somehow. Our opponent: the Duke Blue Devils.
I didn't care where it was, I was going. UNC-Duke in the Final Four is BLOCKBUSTER. And my senior year too? Sheesh. I was blessed by getting student tickets in a second-chance lottery and booked an AirBnb an hour away from the Superdome in New Orleans to save money. For $40 and some change, we got to see both the Villanova-Kansas semifinal in the lower bowl and the UNC-Duke game in the student section. No matter if we won or lost the game, we already won by being here. Not to mention I finally got that coveted picture with Roy Williams outside the Superdome.
Nova made things interesting against the Jayhawks but it was clear that Kansas was the better team. As the students rushed into the student section, the reality of being center-stage for one of the most anticipated games in college basketball history started to set in. As anticipated, the game was back-and-forth and with under 30 seconds left, UNC was up just one. With the game in the balance, Caleb Love came off of a Leaky Black screen and immediately put up a three. As he had been all tournament long, the shot was MONEY as UNC essentially had sealed the game. After a few free throws, the Heels had done it. WE ENDED Coach K's legendary CAREER. Duke fans in shambles right now...
It felt like winning the National Championship. However, we still had one more game to play. Monday night for all the marbles against #1 Kansas. I didn't mind staying in NOLA an extra day, despite the schoolwork piling up. I won't waste time explaining what happen. After being up as many as 16 points, my Tar Heels ran out of gas and squandered the lead to ultimately lose the Natty by 3. Tough ending for sure but for my last game as a student to come in the National Championship? I wouldn't have it any other way.
The one part of senior year that was tough was not seeing my friends as much as I would've liked to. Obviously, everyone was busy preparing for the next phase of their lives but still...I guess it's preparing me for the future. I'll have to be intentional in seeing my friends when we all have jobs post-grad.
The last few weeks of college gave me very little time to process. There were senior events with my job, ministry, and university-sponsored events. I'm not big on personal recognition but I'm thankful for friends and family that sent me their best wishes. Perhaps the coolest thing I did during the last few weeks was climbing the bell tower and signing my name inside (until it gets washed off two years from now). Seniors don't really have too much time to reflect because it's a constant cycle of looking for jobs, taking final exams, planning graduation pictures and then it's over just like that.
Graduation weekend was a memorable one, save for one last 4am fire alarm at Rams Village. on commencement day. I was able to walk across the stage in Carmichael Arena with many of my amazing classmates for the Hussman graduation. Following that, I grabbed some grub at Monterrey's with a great group of friends. Finally, we capped it off in Kenan Memorial Stadium the day after with the classic tossing of the caps to "cap" off an amazing four years at UNC. What an ending.
Overall, #TheLastDance was more than I could've asked for. I'll view this year as a major bounce-back after the disaster that was COVID and a worthy conclusion to my college career. Oh one last thing...I'm BAAAACK! After graduation, my plan is to stay in the Raleigh-Durham area and get to stay near Chapel Hill a little longer. It's a great day to be a Tar Heel!
Senior Year Ranking: 9.5 out of 10
Wrap-up and Superlatives
When I look back ten years from now in regards to my Carolina experience, I will view it as a joyful one. I really lived a dream. A dream that so many kids don't get an opportunity to see through. I'm not sure what impact I made in the lives of others (you'd have to ask them that) but I am confident it is a positive one. I was able to learn about different perspectives different from my own. I was able to explore different career pathways. I was able to network and make connections in this wonderful Carolina family. I can't complain about too much, right. What a journey!
There's so much more I could say but I'll leave this article with one final letter to my graduating class of gratitude and encouragement.
Dear Carolina,
As part of the Class of 2022, we have truly lived a Hollywood-esque movie. We've learned how to battle adversity and disappointment by surviving the worst of a global pandemic. We've shown (once again) we're the better blue by beating Duke in the biggest college basketball game of the century. Most importantly, we've accomplished the goal of graduating a Tar Heel and officially made our mark on our outstanding community. Congrats on a job well done y'all! For the last time as a student (but always for a lifetime), "I'm Christian Clark and I'm a Tar Heel."
Senior Superlatives
Semesters ranked: 1, 8, 2, 7, 3, 5, 6, 4
Favorite restaurant(s): Ms. Mongs (RIP); Armadillo Grill (in Carrboro)
Favorite class(es): HIST 585: Race and Basketball; MEJO 245: Sports in the Media
Favorite memory: Final Four trip to New Orleans (senior year)
Favorite UNC sporting event: UNC vs Duke Final Four men's basketball game (senior year)
My Class Journey & Analysis
First Semester:
MEJO 101- The Media Revolution: From Gutenburg to Zuckerburg and Beyond: This was the only class in my major of choice that I got to be in during freshman year. We had mostly guest speakers come and talk to the class and the tests were based off of the content they taught us.
GEOG 110- The Blue Planet: An Introduction to Earth’s Environmental Systems: Before I enrolled in my classes in the summer, this was one of the pre-registered classes on my list. I'm glad I stuck with it.
SPAN 105- Spanish for High Beginners: I learned more in this Spanish class than I did in all my previous years combined. If you are on the fence about retaking a foreign language, don't sweat it out too much. The beginner classes aren't too bad but there is a lot of homework and you will need to study and review almost every day to do well in the class.
ENGL 141- World Literatures in English: The class where it all began. Having 8am classes every day during freshman year wasn't too bad since I was used to waking up at 6:30 for high school. We read a few books and had daily discussions on them. A great starter course for a freshman or someone looking for a relatively stress-free class.
MATH 118- Aspects of Modern Mathematics: Most people have heard of the song, “Started from the Bottom” by Drake. Well, that is how my first math class at UNC began. I'll say it...I failed my first test but rebounded by doing well on the rest of my assignments to go from an F to a B+. Talk about redemption...
Second Semester:
SPAN 203- Intermediate Spanish I: If I would’ve taken this class during my first semester, it could’ve been rough. However, since I went back a level on purpose to learn the language more, it was a very enjoyable class.
LFIT 108- Outdoor Sports: Every student at UNC is required to take a lifetime fitness class but I certainly didn’t mind it. My class consisted of flag football, ultimate frisbee, soccer, and a little bit of basketball (because of the rain). Make sure you study for the final exam though. No, I'm serious. The classroom component is sneaky difficult if you don't study for it.
COMM 89- Mediating the US/Mexico Border: For obvious reasons, I’m not going to share my opinion on the issue at hand but overall, I thought the class was extremely one-sided. Regardless of your position, I think it is important to present both sides. It was interesting to learn about the injustices at the border and the controversy surrounding it.
POLI 101- State and Local Government: It’s not a subject I really enjoy but the class was perfectly fine. The exams were very difficult so I wouldn't take the class for fun unless you want to kill your GPA. The class average on both midterms were in the 70s so don't expect an easy ride. However, I loved Prof Clark! He made a lot of sports metaphors which I enjoyed. I will disagree with him on one thing: NC BBQ > Kansas City BBQ.
GEOL 101+ lab- Planet Earth: Only about 50% of the class showed up to lecture. I attended every class but didn't get much out of it and I wondered "why am I here?" This happened to be my worst class grade-wise. Would not recommend. Nevertheless, my Geology lab was very fun. It introduced me to 3D printing, via the BEAMS Makerspace locations on campus. This was something that I wouldn’t have probably cared about if it wasn’t for the class but I’m glad I used the resources.
Third Semester:
RELI 103- Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament: It definitely helped that I already had read a lot of the old testament but this class took it to a different level. I'm glad I had a few friends to study and help prepare for the exams in this class. It was enjoyable and a fascinating subject but it was a lot of work.
MEJO 245- Sports in the Media: Although this was a one-credit hour class, it might’ve been my favorite class at UNC. It was once a week and we got to do group interviews with several individuals in the sports industry. I even got to ask legendary coach Roy Williams a question which many people have dreamed of doing. Another must take class if you can.
MATH 119- Intro to Math Modeling: After getting a rude awakening in 118, I wasn’t going to sleep on this class. If you are a non-math major looking to fulfill your gen-ed requirement, look no further. We had a couple of Microsoft Excel math-based projects which helped out everyone’s grade before the final exam.
COMM 140- Introduction to Media History, Theory, and Criticism: The easiest class that I’ve taken at UNC. No joke, I’ve taken middle school classes more difficult than this one. It was interesting but perhaps the easiest A of my college career by a long shot.
GEOG 111- Weather and Climate: If I wasn't awful at physics, I would've strongly considered meteorology as a career. I found the content of this class to be fun, learning about the extremes of our planet's unique weather environment. In fact, I still have Tropical Tidbits and Earth, two websites we looked at in class, saved on my computer's bookmarks so I can still analyze the trends and where the jet-stream is during the winter. Call me a nerd but it's true.
SPAN 204- Intermediate Spanish II (withdrew): Yes, college students are human and I’m no exception to the rule. I took on a workload that was way too much and paid the price. I can’t speak too much on this class since I was in the class for only a month but I knew my performance wasn’t indicative of the professor’s teaching abilities nor was it about my work ethic. I did the right thing and my advice to students in a similar dilemma is this: don’t be afraid to drop/withdraw from a class. Put your pride aside. It’s not the end of the world.
Fourth Semester (partially on Zoom):
GEOL 103- The Marine Environment: One warning about this class: if you think this class is just going to be about the biology of the ocean (sea animals), you'll end up disappointed. It also goes deep (no pun intended) about the chemistry of the ocean.
GEOG 232- Agriculture, Food, and Society: I've never thought about food more than I have in this class. Learning about where our food comes from and how the legacy of the American meal can be racialized was interesting, especially the components of growing and serving food in the early South. We briefly touched on F.W. Woolworth and the Greensboro Four which I enjoyed since my grandmother was a part of those events during the Civil Rights era.
MEJO 121- Intro to Digital Storytelling: I really enjoyed learning the basic nuisances of film with a-roll and b-roll and getting the right shots for an interview. My final project was going to Burlington to interview one of my cousins who runs a group home. It might be the project I was most proud of in college because I chose to do something that wasn't easy. An added bonus: Prof. Madison Cavalchire was such a sweetheart and had a beautiful personality. Definitely would take another class with her if I could.
MEJO 137- Principles of Advertising and Public Relations: If you never have heard of Fyre Fest or seen the documentary on Netflix or Hulu, now is the time to look it up. You'll thank me later.
MEJO 153- Writing and Reporting: Prof. Sutter might be the nicest man on the planet. You'll still have to work hard in class everyday though. As one of the core classes for the j-school, a writing assignment was due nearly every class period. It definitely made me a more polished and culturally aware writer.
Fifth Semester (on Zoom):
MEJO 531- Case Studies in Public Relations: A very practical discussion-based class as all we did was analyze case studies from various PR successes and failures.
MEJO 141- Media Ethics: Professor Herrin was hilarious and made an ethics class fun which can be hard to do. Trust me. Regardless, learning how to identify and address our biases is an important skill that many people don't want/can't do. Learning about the "Dead Guys," various philosophers that helped explain human morality was interesting as well.
RELI 209- Varieties of Early Christianity: Zlatko Plese was hands down a top ten professor at UNC. His love for the subject and his care for all the students is remarkable. Would definitely recommend this class.
MEJO 424- Media Management and Policy: It's not often that I "enjoy" writing a ten-page research paper but mine about Disney and their direct-to-consumer efforts was pretty interesting. Getting to write a paper about the MBTI scale, something I was already familiar with, made the class swift and fun.
PLAN 363- Personal Finance, Wealth Building, and Public Policy: These are the types of classes we need in our life. Creating a financial plan and learning how to manage finances is something that everyone will need to do at some point in their life.
Sixth Semester (on Zoom):
MEJO 376- Sports Marketing and Advertising: Our group created an event based off of Arena Football called “Arena: Clash For Cash” where games would be played at universities. I had a great time designing the event, making logos, and working with my group. The three books that we were assigned were pretty interesting as well.
HIST 585- Race and Basketball: This was easily one of the most insightful classes that I have ever taken in my life. Professor Andrews was a phenomenal professor who is culturally aware. I’ve always loved Carolina Basketball since I was a kid. One of the books we read in class was called “Game Changers” by Art Chansky. It depicts the life of Charlie Scott, the first Black basketball player at UNC, and legendary coach Dean Smith. Must read. I also enjoyed writing my basketball biography on Al Attles, the former Golden State Warriors’ head coach, who my grandparents were friends with.
HIST 362- Baseball and American History: Outside of football and basketball, baseball is a sport that I’ve watched hundreds of times but didn’t really take the time to learn about the origins and history of the game. Prof. Andrews made it extremely fun. Easily the best lecturer I’ve had at UNC. I wish it was in person but he was one of the reasons I didn’t mind logging on to Zoom in the spring semester.
MEJO 332- Public Relations Writing: A class that was a bit disorganized but the APPLES service-learning component of the class helped me gain invaluable knowledge in a low-stakes environment. Our group worked with a client in Chapel Hill called KidSCope. It was fantastic to help them put on an event called “Take Your Parent to the Playground Day.” Writing practice press releases, op-eds, speeches, and more was extremely valuable for my future career.
MEJO 379- Advertising and Public Relations Research: We had a semester-long group research project. My group talked about food delivery apps and COVID-19. One of the easier classes that I’ve taken in college.
Seventh Semester:
MEJO 476- Ethical Issues in Sports Communication: The best part of this class was the flexibility on our two projections/presentations. It was really awesome to work on a campaign for USADA and have the CEO fly out to critique our work. The second project was getting to choose an ethical issue in sports and write a paper/present about it. I did mine on the Michael Vick dog fighting controversy.
MEJO 182- Intro to Graphic Design: I took this class to learn more about the Adobe suite to help make myself more marketable in the job market. We covered four projects throughout the semester and learned the basics of Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop. The grading was subjective but I learned a decent amount so that I can say I'm proficient in the platforms.
MEJO 475- Concepts of Marketing: Very simple class with some readings, guest speakers, and three short exams.
MEJO 341- Media Law (Ad/PR focused): Learned about some of the key cases and rulings in the world of media law. My professor Amanda Reid is probably the funniest teacher in the Hussman School and took a dense topic and made it fun.
Eighth Semester:
MEJO 377- Sports Communication: We got to work with the Orange Bowl which was awesome and our group got chosen as the top presentation. "Blue Man Group goes Orange" for the win haha!
MEJO 634- Public Relations Campaigns: The class was constructed to combine what we had learned in previous Hussman School classes and use it to create a campaign for an amazing client. Who was mine? The NBA! So cool. My group did solid finishing second in the final results. Second place in the standings, number one in my hearts.
EDUC 311- Life Design: This class was fantastic because it allowed me to do some introspection on my life and career path as I was making key decisions. A class that everyone should take before they graduate.
EDUC 543- Higher Education in the U.S.: I took this class out of pure curiosity and I didn't come out disappointed. We learned about the higher education system and the inequalities that exist in our complex system.
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